How to Unpair Apple Watch without iPhone

Apple Watch is a companion device to iPhone and for the most part, it is managed by iPhone. Unpairing the Apple Watch is also done through the iPhone. What should you do if you find yourself without access to the iPhone that your Apple Watch is currently paired with? Well, it is important to note that the Apple Watch is typically unpaired using the iPhone; however, its data and settings can be erased using the watch itself and iCloud. Even after erasing the data of the watch, you will not be able to pair it with another phone owned by another person with a different iCloud ID because the Activation Lock of the watch will remain intact.

The Activation Lock is associated with your iCloud ID; this lock is important if you lose your Apple Watch because nobody will be able to use it, however, this feature can be inconvenient if you sell your Apple Watch and the new owner wants to pair it with his/her phone. To pair the Apple Watch to an iPhone with a different iCloud ID, you need to remove its activation lock.

In this guide, I will provide a step-by-step guide to reset an Apple watch without using the associated iPhone and remove its activation lock.

Unpair Apple Watch without iPhone

If you intend to sell your Apple Watch or have switched to a new Apple ID, it’s crucial to correctly detach it from your previous iPhone. But if you do not have your iPhone then it can also be done without it.

Without the iPhone, the unpairing of the Apple Watch is a two-step process:

• Resetting Apple Watch
• Removing the Activation Lock

The first step is to erase all the data and settings on the Apple Watch and reset it. While the second step will remove the activation lock which will help in pairing the watch to a new iPhone.

1. Reset Apple Watch

To remove the pairing between your iPhone and Apple Watch, follow these steps:

Step 1: Access Home Screen

Open your Apple Watch Home Screen by pressing the digital crown.

Step 2: Open Settings

Open the Settings app on the Home Screen or search it by tapping on the search icon.

Step 3: Open General Settings

Scroll down using the digital crown to find the General settings; tap on it.

Step 4: Reset

In the General settings, again, navigate to the bottom of the menu using the digital crown and select the Reset option.

Step 5: Erase Content and Settings

Upon tapping on the Reset option, another option appears saying Erase All Content

and Settings; tap on it.

If you have set the password for Apple Watch then you will be prompted to type the password.

Note: Erasing content will remove all the content on the Apple Watch and settings, however, it will not remove the activation lock tied to the Apple ID. To fully unpair the Apple Watch you have to remove it from iCloud.

Step 6: Erase All

You will again be prompted to erase the data of the Apple Watch; simply tap on the Erase All option.

Note: Alternatively, the data and settings of Apple Watch can also be erased using iCloud. Simply, sign in to iCloud open the Find My app, and then click on the Apple Watch. After that click on the Erase this Device to remove all the data from the Apple Watch.

2. Remove Activation Lock

To remove the activation lock of the Apple Watch, see the following steps.

Step 1: Sign in to iCloud

Open the iCloud and sign in using the Apple ID credentials.

Step 2: Open Find My

Now, open the Find My app; it is present on the main screen; however, it can also be accessed by clicking on the dotted menu at the top.

Step 3: Remove this Device

Find the Apple Watch from the connected device and click on it.

Then click on the Remove this Device option.

After removing the activation lock, you will be able to connect your watch to any iPhone.

Conclusion

Apple Watch can be unpaired without the iPhone, by first deleting its data and then removing the activation lock from iCloud. Typically, the iPhone is used to unpair the Apple Watch, but if you have sold or lost your iPhone then you need to use other methods to unpair the Apple Watch. In this guide, I cover a method to unpair the Apple Watch without using an iPhone.